4

ti o
ca
u

n
ed

al
CHAPTER n

s
i
si t
g h

Soldiers on parade receive King George V and Queen

Mary as they enter Mumbai in 1911 through the

India as
“Gateway of India” especially built for their arrival.
The last British soldiers left through it in 1948.

Colony:
1850 to
1947
myers brothers

The British Crown took over

direct control of India from
the East India Company in
1858. Economic exploitation
increased. A determined and
mostly nonviolent freedom
movement emerged and finally
succeeded, resulting in the
formation of modern India
and Muslim Pakistan in 1947.

Note to Students, Parents and Teachers
This Educational Insight is the fourth chapter in our se­
ries on Hindu history intended for use in US primary and
secondary schools. Like preceding chapters, it openly dis­
cusses topics that are neglected or covered only briefly in
current American curricula. We summarize the political his­
tory of India between 1850 and 1947, then tell the story of
two influential men: Swami Vivekananda, who presented
to the Western world a view of Hinduism as a tolerant, so­
phisticated faith, and Mahatma Gandhi, who taught the
world the power of nonviolent political action. Finally, we
explore Hindu food, dress, rites of passage and initiations.
Overall, the student is provided a glimpse into the beliefs,
traditions, practices and refined culture that enabled Hin­
duism to survive the onslaught of conquest and colonial­
ism. This lesson was written and designed by the editorial
staff of Hinduism Today in collaboration with Dr. Shiva Baj­
pai, Professor Emeritus of History, California State University,
Northridge, Los Angeles.
Academic reviewers: Dr. Klaus Klostermaier, Professor of Religious
Studies, University of Manitoba; Dr. Jeffrey D. Long, Chair, Department
of Religious Studies, Elizabethtown College; Dr. Anantanand Ram-
bachan, Professor of Religion, St. Olaf College; Dr. T.S. Rukmani, Pro-
fessor and Chair in Hindu Studies, Concordia University; Dr. Michael
K. Ward, Visiting Lecturer in History, California State University, North-
ridge. Educational Consultant: Justin Stein, Lecturer at Windward Com-
munity College, Hawaii, and former middle school teacher in New York.

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-1
 section
1 British Rule’s
Mixed Blessings
What You Will Learn... If YOU lived then...
Main Ideas You are a Hindu sepoy in the Indian army in 1857. New rifle cartridges
1. India became a British colony have been issued. To use them, you have to bite off the tip, which is
following the 1857 uprising. smeared with beef fat. You have never eaten or even tasted meat, as
2. Under British rule, India
suffered poverty, famine
killing animals, especially cows, goes against your religious beliefs. If
and lack of freedom. These you refuse, you will be arrested—and possibly executed. If you run
inspired the Indian inde-
pendence movement.
away, you risk the same fate. What do you do, and why?
3. Through mostly non-
violent means, India won
independence after World Building Background: Nationalism or patriotism is love and devotion to
War II, but Pakistan was
one’s country. Before the 19th century, people felt loyalty to their regional
divided off for Muslims.
ruler and culture. They were less concerned about the country they shared
with others. Starting in the 19th century, people developed political senti-
➸

ments for their country as a whole and promoted a national identity.

The Big Idea
After ten centuries of alien
occupation and a century Understanding Colonialism
of struggle, the Indian people As we learned in the last lesson, the British East India Company
regained their independence.
came to dominate India through its clever use of political strategy,
intrigue and military force. In 1858 India became a colony of the
H induism Today ’s British Empire. Powerful nations, including England, Spain, Portugal,
Teaching Standards
France and Holland, had used their financial and military power to
This column in each of the establish colonies in Asia, Africa and the Americas. Many colonies,
three sections presents our such as in North America and in Australia, were created by military
subject outline for India and conquest. The conquerors drove out or killed the native peoples,
Hinduism from 1850 to 1947.
whom they regarded as subhuman. They then settled the land with
1. Assess the impact of
immigrants from their own countries. Other colonies, such as India,
colonization, especially
English education, on were first opened through trade and commerce which eventually led
the people of India. to their foreign economic domination and political control. England’s
2. Explain how the colonies included India, Burma, Ceylon, Malaysia, Singapore and
uprising against the hundreds of other territories large and small worldwide. The English
East India Company led defended their conquests by claiming that they were a superior race
to the establishment
of the British Raj. with a noble mission: to spread Western civilization. This sounds
3. Describe the history of India’s
very racist today. But it was then a firm belief of most Englishmen.
movement for independence, While England profited from its colonies, the colonies suffered
including the role of Gandhi’s oppression and disease. In the 19th century, the British did bring
nonviolent campaigns. notable advances of the Industrial Revolution to India. But a century

I-2   h i n d u i s m t o d ay     a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0

of British rule drove a wealthy and vital
India into poverty and weakness.
Britain introduced English education
in 1835 to strengthen its power. Indians
excelled in the new education system, with
unintended results. They read, in English,
how the American colonies banded together
in 1776 to free themselves from Britain
and establish a democracy. They learned
edinburg geographic institute
how the French gained freedom by over-
throwing their king in 1789. Indians rightly
concluded that their ancient land—Bharat
Mata, “Mother India”—had the same right
as America and France to be free and inde-
pendent. But it would take a century to
achieve this goal.
The 1857 Revolt
The East India Company dominated India
until the 1850s. A huge uprising in 1857 led
to the direct and official takeover of India
by the British government.
Many Indians were unhappy with the
Company. It took over previously indepen-
dent kingdoms within India. Its economic
policies made most people poor. Its British-
run police and law courts were inadequate
or corrupt. Within their army, the British
officers had little respect for their Indian
soldiers or sepoys, and in some cases pro-
moted their conversion to Christianity.
A relatively simple incident triggered
the massive revolt. A new type of greased
cartridge was issued for the sepoys’ Enfield
rifles. Word spread that the grease was beef
and pork fat. To load a cartridge, one had to
bite off the greased tip. The sepoys refused
to use them: the Hindus because they
considered the cow sacred; the Muslims
because they considered the pig unclean.
The sepoys mutinied, attacking and killing
their British officers.
The revolt spread across North India, as
Hindus and Muslims, elites and commoners,
1909: British India and the Princely States
The red areas were under direct British control. The yellow areas, called
“Princely States,” had local Indian rulers who answered to the British.
joined forces against the British. Many
landlords, left impoverished, joined the
rebellion. Within a year, the British ruth-
lessly crushed the revolt, killing hundreds Academic
of thousands (some say millions) of soldiers Vocabulary
and civilians. intrigue
secret planning to
Stories (some true, some false) of British
harm another
women and children being killed by the
mutiny
rebels inflamed public opinion in England. a revolt by soldiers
Charles Dickens, author of A Christmas or sailors against
Carol and other famous stories, wrote their officers
that if he were commander-in-chief in inflame
India he would “strike that Oriental Race to cause strong
. . . proceeding, with merciful swiftness of emotions
execution, to blot it out of mankind and raze
raze it off the face of the Earth.” Although to destroy
Dickens championed the poor in England completely
and opposed slavery in America, he held a rabid
rabidly racist view of Indians. extreme or
fanatical support
The British were shocked by the uprising, of a belief
which recalled the American Revolution. To
protect their power, investment and income,
they tightened their grip on the subcon-
tinent by transferring rule from the East
India Company to the British government.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-3
 Academic
The British Raj India. The peaceful demand for freedom by Vocabulary
The new government of India was called nationalist political organizations continued
conspiracy
the Raj, a Sanskrit word meaning to reign decade after decade, at times turning into secret plotting
or rule. Its first steps were to ensure that no violent but unsuccessful uprisings. by a group
future rebellion would take place. The ratio The British improved India’s legal, justice duty free
of English soldiers in the army was greatly and civil service systems, introduced better being exempt
increased. Sepoys of various castes, religions military training, built a few universities from import and
and regions were assigned to separate units and created telegraph, postal, rail and road other taxes
to prevent possible conspiracy. The popula- networks. They did so primarily for their famine
tion was disarmed. Ownership of guns was own political and economic gain, not to extreme
allowed by license only. Generally, Indians benefit the Indian people. shortage of food
had no rights and no voice in their own rule. ruthless
The Road to Independence cruel; lacking
The Raj expanded the rail and road sys-
pity for other’s
tem which allowed duty-free British prod- Mohandas K. Gandhi, born in 1869, is hon- suffering
ucts to be sold all over India. This, unfortu- ored in India as the “father of the nation.” partition
nately, caused the collapse of major native After becoming a lawyer in England, he to set off or
industries such as cotton textiles. moved to South Africa. There he won politi- divide from
Tax revenues from agriculture and cal rights for Indian immigrants by nonvio-
industry that should have benefitted India lent means. In 1915 he returned home to
instead went to England. Between 1770 and India and joined the freedom struggle.
1857, mismanagement worsened the effects On April 13, 1919, British General Dyer
of twelve major famines and many minor led an attack upon a peaceful political meet-
ones. According to official figures, 28 mil- ing of unarmed men, women and children at
lion Indians starved to death between 1854 Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. In ten minutes,
and 1901. India’s share of world income 400 people were shot dead and 1,200 seri-
shrank from 22.6% in 1700 to 3.8% in 1952. ously injured. Instead of being pun­ished for
As early as the 1820s, many Indians his crime, Dyer was honored as a hero.
wrote about the need to end British rule in The ruthless massacre in Amritsar

Timeline: 1857 to 1947 ce

1860 1869 1876-1890 1896
First Indian Birth of Fifty-volume Sacred Lokmanya B. G. Tilak
indentured laborers Mohandas K. Books of the East is starts Ganesha and
gandhi museum

arrive in South Africa; Gandhi who published, English Shivaji festivals

tens of thousands won India’s translations of in Bombay to
more eventually go independence Indian and other mobilize mass
to Africa, Fiji and by nonviolent Eastern scriptures Indian nationalism
the Caribbean means Mahatma Gandhi
1860 1870 1880
500 1890
600 1900
700
1857 1863 1876 1885 1893
British government Birth of Swami Queen Victoria Indian National Swami
suppresses wide­ Vivekananda, of England is Congress is Vivekananda
spread uprising India’s proclaimed founded to voice represents
rk mission

and begins first Hindu Empress of India Indian concerns Hinduism at the
formal imperial missionary to the British Parliament of the
rule of India to the West government World’s Religions
Vivekananda in Chicago
I-4   h i n d u i s m t o d ay     a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0
 convinced Gandhi that only a mass struggle against
foreign rule would save India. From 1920 on, he
led a national movement for freedom based on his
philosophy of nonviolent resistance called satya­
graha, “force of truth.” Indian nationalists stopped
cooperating with the government, refused to pay
taxes and burned English goods in public. Gandhi
and his followers were repeatedly beaten and jailed.
During the freedom movement, Hindus and
Muslims disagreed about the democratic govern-
ment they hoped to build. Muslims did not want to
be a permanent minority in India and demanded
their own country, an idea that Gandhi opposed.
World War II began in 1939 as Germany and
Japan sought to add countries to their empires by
force, just as Britain had done a century earlier.
The war put Britain in the awkward position of
defending its own freedom and democracy against
Germany while continuing to deprive India of hers.
The Quit India movement was launched in 1942.
Soon afterwards, Gandhi and other leaders were
arrested. The movement became violent at some
places, with hundreds shot and killed by police.
Britain’s military force in India was composed of
Indian soldiers and sailors commanded by British
officers. By the 1940s, the loyalty of these hired
servicemen to their foreign masters diminished as
the demand for freedom swept over India. A 1946
mutiny by Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy
convinced the British that it was only a matter of
time before the entire military might revolt.
Crippled by World War II and nearly bankrupt,
Britain gave up India and other colonies, including
Burma and Ceylon. India’s transition to freedom
on August 15, 1947, brought with it a terrible trag-
edy. Pakistan was partitioned from India on the
basis of religion. A huge relocation followed as 7.5
million Muslims moved to Pakistan from India and
an equal number of Hindus and Sikhs fled Paki-
stan. A million died from hardship, attacks and
riots. On January 30, 1948, a Hindu, enraged over
the partition, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.
Section 1 Assessment
Reviewing Ideas, Terms and People
1. Identify: How did England justify its colonial empire?
How did India fare as a British colony?
2. Report: What sparked the uprisings of 1857?
3. Describe: What changes did England impose as a result
of these uprisings?
4. Explain: Why were there so many huge famines in India
under the Raj?
Focus on Writing
✎
5. Analyze: How did Gandhi and his followers fight for
independence? Why did he choose to use nonviolent
means?

1910 1918 1930 1943

B. G. Tilak 17 million people, Gandhi named Time Three million
declares, 5% of India’s Magazine “Man Bengalis die in
time magazine

“Independence population, die of the Year” as his famine caused by

s a nata n . o r g

is our birthright” in Spanish flu fame grows in the British negligence

pandemic; 50 West following the
million perish successful Salt March
B.G. Tilak worldwide Man of the Year
1910
800 1920 1930 1940
1900 1919 1921 1939 1947
India’s population General Dyer Subhash Chandra Bose Beginning of India gains
is 290 million, orders troops to advocates armed rebellion. World War II, independence.
18% of the fire on an unarmed In 1943 he forms the which ultimately Pakistan is divided
world’s people political gathering, Indian National Army results in the off along religious
killing hundreds; of 40,000 troops which death of 60 lines for Muslims
Gandhi begins fought against British million people
noncooperation troops in Burma.
movement a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-5
 section
2 The Challenge
of Ideas
What You Will Learn... If YOU lived then...
Main Ideas It is May 4, 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. A thousand students
1. Missionaries and colonists from the city’s all-black high school join the nonviolent freedom
believe that their culture is protest led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to desegregate the city. Police
superior to all other cultures.
2. Swami Vivekananda
knock them down using high-powered fire hoses and arrest hundreds.
popularized the Hindu Your 17-year-old daughter is arrested and jailed for three days.
belief that all religions
are valid paths to God. What do you say to her when she returns home?
3. Gandhi’s satya­graha
campaign brought
independence to India
Building Background: Dr. King went to India in 1959 to study Gan-
and inspired nonviolent dhi’s methods. He adopted satyagraha, calling it “nonviolent direct ac-
movements for freedom and tion.” King said it should so “dramatize an issue that it can no longer be
civil rights around the world. ignored.” Gandhi translated satyagraha as “truth force” or “soul force.”
Satyagraha, he taught, forbids inflicting violence on one’s opponent.
➸

The Big Idea

Understanding the Power of Ideas
Hindu ideals of nonviolence In the 19th century, India was fighting the British in a war of ideas.
and religious tolerance have
helped shape today’s world.
One battle was over religion: Christian missionaries believed it was
their sacred duty to convert all Indians. Another was over colonial-
ism: the British were ruling India by military force, supported by the
Key Terms idea that they were a superior race. Many thinkers and activists, key
satyagraha, p. I-8 among them Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, challenged
colonized mind, p. I-9 these ideas. Today nearly all colonies have been freed. Few countries,
if any, would claim a moral right to colonize another. But religious
Hinduism Today’s conflict remains a crucial issue. Vivekananda’s teaching of equal re-
Teaching Standards spect for all religions is more relevant today than ever before.

5. Describe the conflict of ideas A Young Monk with a Message of Tolerance

between prominent Hindus,
including Vivekananda The story of Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) starts with a temple
and Gandhi, and British priest named Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) who lived near Cal-
missionaries and colonists. cutta. He was a mystic, a person who had visions of God and many
6. Identify the influence of Swami profound spiritual experiences. Though not formally educated, he
Vivekananda on modern attracted followers from the city’s prominent families. One was an
ideas of religious tolerance.
18-year-old college student named Narendranath Dutta.
7. Explain how the Hindu
principles behind satyagraha
When they first met, Narendra asked Ramakrishna why he
have improved the lives of believed in God. Ramakrishna replied, “Because I see Him just as
people around the world. I see you here, only in a much more intense sense.” Narendra took

I-6   h i n d u i s m t o d ay     a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0
 Primary Source

Swami Vivekananda’s Address to the repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day re-
Parliament of the World’s Religions peated by millions of human beings: ‘As the different streams,
having their sources in different places, all mingle their water
On September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda began his in the sea, O Lord, so the different paths which men take
address with the words, “sisters and brothers of America,” through different tendencies, various though they appear,
resulting in a two-minute standing ovation. He continued, “It crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.’
fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the “Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanati-
warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank cism, have possessed long this beautiful earth. It has filled
you in the name of the millions and millions the earth with violence, drenched it often
of Hindu people of all classes and sects. with human blood, destroyed civilization
“I am proud to belong to a religion which and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not
has taught the world both tolerance and been for this horrible demon, human society
universal acceptance. We believe not only would be far more advanced than it is now.
in universal toleration, but we accept all “But its time has come, and I fervently
religions to be true. I am proud to belong to hope that the bell that tolled this morning in
r a m a k r i s h na m i s s i o n

a nation which has sheltered the persecuted honor of this convention will be the death-
and the refugees of all religions and all na- knell to all persecutions with the sword or
tions of the earth. the pen, and to all uncharitable feelings
“I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines between persons wending their way to the
from a hymn which I remember to have same goal.”

Ramakrishna as his guru and was trained by wrote, “The impertinence of sending half- Academic
him for the next five years. educated theological students to instruct Vocabulary
After Ramakrishna’s death, Narendra took the wise and erudite Orientals was never desegregate
vows as a Hindu monk, becoming Swami Vive- brought home to an English-speaking audi- allow equal
access to public
kananda. He gave up his further education ence more forcibly.” places for all
and instead set off on pilgrimage across India. Vivekananda returned to India a hero. races
He deeply impressed many people in Madras. He aroused a new pride among Hindus pilgrimage
They raised money door to door to pay for his and kindled in India’s youth a nationalist to travel to a
travel to America for the 1893 Parliament of spirit. Vivekananda founded the Ramak- sacred place for
the World’s Religions. rishna Mission as a religious and educa- worship
At that interfaith congress in Chicago, the tional institution to address India’s social eloquent
cultured and eloquent 30-year-old swami was problems. He died on July 4, 1902, at age pleasant, fluent,
well received. In his opening talk, he declared, 39. Freedom fighter Subhash Chandra convincing in
speech
“We believe not only in universal toleration, but Bose aptly called Swami “the maker of
we accept all religions to be true.” The popu- modern India.” impertinence
lack of respect,
larity of this Hindu message of respect and Vivekananda was not the first Indian rudeness
tolerance alarmed some Christian participants religious and social reformer of the 19th
theological
who had hoped the Parliament would prove century. Raja Ram Mohan Roy sought to having to do
their religion superior to others. counter the criticisms of Hinduism made with the study
The New York Herald reported at the time, by the British missionaries. He founded of religious
“Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 as a new reli- concepts
in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing gion with Christian-style services. Swami erudite
him, we feel how foolish it is to send mission- Dayananda Saraswati was a Hindu tra- scholarly; having
aries to this learned nation.” Another reporter ditionalist. He began the Arya Samaj in great learning

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-7
 In 1930 Gandhi led a march to challenge laws that taxed salt and imposed
burdens on the poor. His public spectacle of breaking the law by collecting salt
at the sea was a turning point for the organized opposition to Britain’s tyranny.

nat i o na l g a n d h i m u s e u m

1875 to revive Vedic society and religion. strategy to gain India’s freedom was sat­ya­
He believed Hinduism could be purified graha, “truth force,” the application of righ-
Academic by a return to the teachings and practices teous and moral force in politics. Satya­graha
Vocabulary of the Vedas. Both the Brahmo Samaj and is based on Hindu principles, including
egalitarian Arya Samaj encouraged Indians to be egali- nonviolence, the ultimate goodness of the
the principle tarian and do more social service for the soul and a belief in the existence of God
that all people
deserve equal
poor. everywhere and in everyone. Satyagraha
rights and Vivekananda, on the other hand, had a requires a core group of self-sacrificing and
opportunities powerful impact both on India and the disciplined activists. To be successful, it
callous West. In particular, he introduced the must have widespread publicity, generating
lacking mercy Hindu idea that all religions deserve respect national concern and international pressure.
tyranny as valid paths to God, an idea now firmly Since Gandhi’s time, satyagraha has been
cruel and unjust established in America. In 2008, polls used to win civil rights for blacks in Amer-
use of power or found that while 76% of Americans identify ica, improve conditions for California farm
authority themselves as Christian, 65% believe that workers, end apartheid in South Africa and
“many paths other than my own can lead publicize human rights abuses in Myanmar.
to eternal life.” How different from Vivek­ Gandhi used the power of satyagraha
ananda’s time, when most Americans were to oppose the British salt tax to tighten its
staunch Christians who believed theirs was stranglehold on India’s economy. The Raj
the only way to God! imposed strict controls on salt production
and a stiff tax on its sale. People could be
Satyagraha: Fighting without Violence arrested for making or selling salt. This
Mahatma Gandhi was a devout Hindu, a callous tax on a basic necessity of life espe-
skilled lawyer and a master politician. His cially burdened the poor. To Gandhi, the

I-8   h i n d u i s m t o d ay     a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0
 the impact
Today
salt tax symbolized the tyranny of the Raj. shops and churches. Violent attacks by
Gandhi’s dramatic revolt, the Salt March, police on unarmed, nonresisting marchers In accepting the
2009 Nobel Peace
began on March 12, 1930. Tens of thou- attracted worldwide attention. The United Prize, President
sands of people cheered as he walked 390 States was shamed and embarrassed as a Obama said, “As
kilometers from his Sabarmati Ashram in result. New laws were soon passed requir- someone who
stands here as a
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to Dandi Beach. After ing equal rights for all. direct consequence
morning prayers on April 6, he collected salt of Dr. King’s life
on the seashore and proclaimed, “With this, The Colonized Mind work, I am living
testimony to the
I am shaking the foundations of the Brit- The nonviolent strategies of satyagraha moral force of non-
ish Empire.” Hearing this, people all across helped Indians and black Americans attain violence. I know
there’s nothing
India freely collected and sold salt. Tens of freedom after centuries of domination. But
weak, nothing
thousands were arrested, including 18,000 decades later, they and their descendants passive, nothing
women. The march was closely covered still felt inferior to white people. This con- naive in the
creed and lives of
by the international press, making Gandhi dition, called “the colonized mind,” can Gandhi and King.”
famous in Europe and America. persist long after physical freedom is won.
Six weeks later, hundreds of march- Many of India’s colonized people, espe-
ers attempted to take over the Dharasana cially those educated in English schools, Academic
Saltworks, 300 kilometers north of Bombay. came to believe that everything about Vocabulary
The ensuing clash was reported worldwide themselves was inferior to that of the Brit- belabor
by Webb Miller of United Press Inter- ish. Thus they considered English superior to beat severely
national: “Police charged [the marchers], to any Indian language, English manners civil rights
swinging their clubs and belaboring the better than Indian manners, a suit and tie political and social
raiders on all sides. The volunteers made no better than a kurta shirt and pants, and freedom and
resistance. As the police swung hastily with white skin better than brown skin. equality
their sticks, the natives simply dropped in Overcoming, or “decolonizing,” the colo- integrate
their tracks. Less than 100 yards away I nized mind requires a multicultural edu- to end the
could hear the dull impact of clubs against cation, self-examination and rejection of separation of
people by race
bodies. The watching crowds gasped, or externally created ideas of inferiority. The
naive
sometimes cheered, as the volunteers crum- colonized mind is the most lasting negative
innocent; lacking
pled before the police without even raising impact of colonialism. experience
their arms to ward off the blows.”
Professor Richard Johnson wrote, “It is Section 2 Assessment
widely believed that the Salt Campaign
turned the tide in India. All the violence Reviewing Ideas, Terms and People
was committed by the British and their 1. Describe: What did British missionaries and colonists
Indian soldiers. The legitimacy of the Raj believe about their culture compared to Indian culture?
2. Interpret: How did American journalists react to Swami
was never reestablished for the majority of
Vivekananda’s speech at the 1893 Chicago Parliament?
Indians and an ever increasing number of 3. Identify: Where has Gandhi’s strategy of satyagraha been
British subjects.” The independence strug- used outside of India?
gle was now truly a mass movement. 4. Explain: How did nonviolent protests “turn the tide” for
In a similar way, in 1963 Martin Luther Indian freedom and the American civil rights movement?
King forced the desegregation of Birming-
ham, Alabama. Civil rights activists were
Focus on Writing
✎
5. What Hindu ideals were promoted by Swami Vivekananda
arrested by the hundreds as they attempted and Gandhi? How have they influenced today’s world?
to peacefully integrate the city’s restaurants,

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-9
 Hindu Vegetarianism

Eating:
8. vegetable a
coconut curr

Indian Style
9. mango pickle

1. salt

The vegetarian meal at the right may look like a feast, but
skilled ammas (mothers) prepare some variation of it every day
for their families. This traditional South Indian spread is cen-
tered around rice. North Indians enjoy wheat-based flatbreads
in place of or along with their rice, but the other dishes are
similar. Lots of spices are used, including coriander, fenugreek,
cumin, cayenne, cardamom, ginger, cloves, chili pepper, black
pepper and cinnamon. Depending on the region, spicing may
be mild to very hot.
The meal is served in several courses on a banana leaf
freshly cut and washed or, more commonly today, on a round
metal plate. After washing your hands, you proceed to eat with
the fingers of your right hand by taking a small amount of one
or two of the vegetable items, mixing them with some rice and 10. fried okra
popping them in your mouth. Seconds are automatic. In fact, with peppers
you can only get the host to stop serving more food by cover- 11. spiced cab
ing the leaf with your hands. Water or a cool beverage, such
as lassi (a salted or fruit-juice-sweetened yogurt drink), may
be served at the end. When finished, you fold your leaf in
half, top to bottom. In the villages, the leaves, complete with Chopsticks have a venerable history,
leftovers, are fed to appreciative cows. Nothing goes to waste, dating back to 1200 bce. Forks were
and no plates to wash! After the meal, water is brought for introduced to Europe in the 11th
cleaning your hands. century ce by a Byzantine princess
who married an Italian. She out-
Fingers, Forks and Chopsticks raged the Italians by refusing to eat
There are three methods of eating in the world: with forks, with her hands. A Catholic priest
with fingers and with chopsticks. Forks predominate in pointed out that “God in his wis-
Europe, Australia and North America. Chop­sticks are used dom has provided man with natural
in East Asia. Fingers are the most widespread eating imple- forks—his fingers.” The rest of Eu-
ment, prevailing in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Middle rope was slow to adopt forks. Many
East and much of Africa. Globally, fork-feeders are outnum- royalty, including Queen Elizabeth
bered more than two to one. I and Louis XIV, used their fingers.

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 4. cucumber, tomatoes,
5. yam, pumpkin chilies and yogurt
6. drumsticks with and channa beans
7. fried spiced cabbage tamarind and yogurt
with vegetables
and
ry

13. spicy soup

14. banana

3. banana chips

bbage

dinodia/viren desai
12. deep fried 15. parboiled rice with
lentil wafer spicy bean sauce

2. sweet made with chickpeas,

sugar, clarified butter
(Items are numbered in the order they are served)

Understanding Other Customs

1. Compare: After reading about a traditional South 2. Evaluate: How do you usually eat food:
Indian lunch and looking at the images above, compare with fingers, chopsticks or forks? List some
and contrast it with lunch in your own culture. How are advantages and disadvantages of these different
your food and customs similar? How are they different? ways of eating.

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-11
 section
3 Rites of Passage
And Initiations
What You Will Learn... If YOU lived now...
Main Ideas You are a Hindu American woman who just graduated from the univer-
1. The power of Hindu sity. Your parents’ marriage was arranged, but you swore you would find
philosophy and cultural your own husband. Despite your objections, your parents have secretly
tradition helped Hinduism
survive centuries found you the “perfect husband.” You meet him, and, surprise, he does
of foreign rule. seem ideal—except that your parents found him instead of you!
2. Samskaras are rites of pas-
sage marking important What do you tell your parents?
changes in one’s life.
3. Diksha or initiation brings a
person into a deeper level of Building Background: In precolonial India, a bride brought wealth to
religious study and practice. her marriage, called stree dhana or “woman’s wealth.” Usually jewelry,
this remained her personal property, to be passed on to her daughters.
➸

Dowry is a different custom in which the bride’s family gives money

The Big Idea to the groom. Demand for dowry became common among the upper
castes in British times because of changes in land and inheritance laws.
Samskaras and diksha
are key traditions in the
lives of all Hindus. The Sustaining Power of Hindu Tradition
Hinduism survived the centuries of Muslim and British rule on the
strength of its philosophy and traditions. We have examined a num-
Key Terms ber of these already, including scriptures, festivals, pilgrimages, tem-
samskara, p. 12 ples, puja worship, art, music and dance. Festivals, in particular, are
disksha, p. 13
central to the religious, social and cultural life of a Hindu.
Agni, p. 13
mantra, p. 14 In this section, we study two more traditions important to Hindu
life: rites of passage and initiation. Rites of passage are the social
and religious ceremonies marking important stages in a person’s
life. These include naming a child, the attainment of puberty, mar-
Hinduism Today’s riage and funeral rites. In Hinduism, these rites are called samskaras,
Teaching Standards which means “to make perfect.” Initiations, or dikshas, are given by a
8. Describe the important priest, teacher or guru to bring a person into a new level of education,
rites of passage for Hindus, religious practice and spiritual awareness.
including the samskaras
of childhood, (especially
The Rites of Childhood
for education) puberty
and marriage and death. The samskaras of childhood begin before birth with home rituals
9. Explain the importance of to ensure the well-being of the mother and her unborn child. The
initiation for the religious name-giving ceremony is usually held at home on the eleventh day
practices of mantra recitation after birth. A pleasant sounding name with a religious or moral
(japa) and monasticism.
meaning is chosen and the father whispers it in the baby’s right ear.

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 Solid food is given to the baby by its father
six months after birth in the first-feeding
ritual. Head-shaving, symbolizing purity,
is performed for both boys and girls at a
temple, usually at the end of the first year. At
age four, a ceremony marking the beginning
of education is done in which children write
their first letter in a tray of rice. Ear-piercing,
for health and wealth, is performed for girls
and boys between the first and eighth year.
Girls are adorned with gold earrings, bangles
and anklets; boys receive earrings and a gold
chain.
The upanayana, or sacred thread cer-
emony, is the final ceremony of childhood. It
marks the formal beginning of student life.
Students begin religious instruction and sec-
ular education appropriate to their intended
occupation. In artisan communities, a similar
ceremony is held for boys to formally accept
them into their family craft tradition.
The Coming of Age Ceremony
The community celebrates a girl’s entrance
into puberty with the ritu kala samskara, a
Honoring Life’s Important Moments
dinodia
dinodia
At left, a brother and sister both have the samskaras of head
shaving and ear piercing (yes, it hurts) at a South Indian
temple; at right a couple in Maharashtra State take seven steps
around the sacred fire to complete their marriage ceremony
home ceremony conducted by the family the impact
and close relatives. In the Tamil tradition Today
of South India, for example, the girl bathes
In recent times
and then dresses in her first sari. The family demands for a
invokes Goddess Lakshmi to bless the young costly dowry
woman with happiness and wealth. She is have led to
violence and
given many gifts, the first of which is always even murder of
made of gold. Even today, this samskara is women in India
a major event for Hindu girls. It is a joyous
time of gift-giving, yet serious as well. A vow
of chastity until marriage may be taken at
the same time.
Academic
The Rites of Marriage Vocabulary
Hindu weddings are conducted before a adorn
to add beauty;
sacred fire. This practice dates back thou-
decorate
sands of years to Vedic times. Agni, the God
chastity
of Fire, is called to serve as divine witness sexual
to the marriage vows. Weddings are held in abstinence
special halls. A Hindu wedding can be an
elaborate affair spread out over several days
attended by many hundreds of guests.
The wedding ceremony is performed by a
priest, who invokes Agni by building a small
fire in an open brick altar on the ground.
Below a funeral takes place at the cremation ghats
along the Ganga River in the holy city of Varanasi.
a na n ya
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a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-13

photos: dinodia
(above) Wrapping a silk sari in nivi style: 1) the plain end
is held at the right waist and the rest is passed around the
back; 2) seven to twelve pleats are made; 3) the remaining
material is passed around the back; 4) the decorative end is
draped up and over the left shoulder. (below left) A Saivite
does japa while visualizing Lord Siva; (below right) boys
receive the sacred thread during the upanayana samskara.
a.manivel
dinodia
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The elaborate rituals normally take hours. Close
relatives are brought forward to participate and
bless the couple. The groom puts sindur, red color-
ing, on the part in his bride’s hair, indicating her
new status as a married woman.
The final moment comes when the bride and
groom take seven steps together around the fire to
symbolize the journey of life they will take together.
The first step is for strength, the second for health,
the third for wealth, the fourth for happiness, the
fifth for children, the sixth for a long marriage and
the seventh for loyalty and everlasting friendship.
The bride and groom usually go to a temple for
blessings after the wedding.
Death and Cremation
When a person is close to death, relatives gather
around. They sit for hours with him or her, singing
religious songs, reading scripture and chant prayers
to create a spiritual environment and ease the
loved-one’s departure.
After death, the body is bathed and wrapped in
white cloth, then taken to the cremation grounds
and placed on a wood pyre which is lit by the
eldest son. The funeral ceremony also requires
Agni, God of Fire. He is called upon to consume
the body. Cremation swiftly releases the soul from
this incarnation and frees it for the next. The fol-
lowing day, the family collects the ashes, to be scat-
tered later in a sacred river or other chosen place.
Home rituals honor the departed soul on the
10th and 13th days after death and yearly thereaf-
ter during the two-week period dedicated to honor-
ing one’s ancestors each fall. These rites help con-
sole loved ones and invite the soul to reincarnate
back into the family in the future.
Religious Initiations
A mantra is a sacred word or phrase, usually in
Sanskrit. Mantra diksha is the most common Hindu
initiation. It authorizes the repetition of a mantra as
a daily spiritual practice. “Aum Namo Narayanaya”
is a mantra chanted in the Vaishnavite tradition. It
means “Homage to Lord Vishnu.” “Aum Namah
 Hindu Monastic Vows
Sannyas diksha is the initiation that makes one a swami
or sannyasin. A female swami is called a swamini. These
monastics are spiritual leaders and examples for Hindus.
This initiation is conducted by a guru after years of training
and qualification.
courtesy baps
Sivaya” is of the Saivite tradition. At the high
point of the sacred thread ceremony, students
are initiated in a mantra prayer to the Sun
God requesting Him to guide their thinking.
Japa is a form of meditation in which
God is visualized while chanting a mantra,
silently or aloud, 108 times. The repetitions
are counted on a strand of sacred beads
called a mala. Mantra initiation gives power
to japa. One teacher explained, “Chanting
a mantra without initiation is like writing a
check without money in the bank.”
Mantra diksha may be given as early as
age six or later in life when a guru is chosen.
After initiation, the devotee is obligated to
perform japa each day as an important part
of spiritual practice, called sadhana.
Vishesha diksha is initiation into personal
daily worship called puja. It requires learn-
ing the rites, including chanting the prayers
in Sanskrit, knowing the meaning of each
part of the ritual and vowing to perform it
each day in one’s home shrine. This is a pri-
vate worship, different from the public puja
performed by priests in temples.
Typically the rites include the shaving of the head,
discarding all possessions and thereafter dressing in simple
orange robes. In order to be closer to God, the initiate lets
go of all worldly things: family life, career, worldly desires
and personal ambition. The monastic takes lifetime vows
proclaiming his spiritual goal of God Realization.
Now born anew, he receives a new name. In some
traditions, the initiate symbolically conducts his
own funeral ceremony before the sacred fire. This
symbolizes the death of his past and personal ego.
Many Hindu monks live in spiritual communities
called ashrams. Others wander alone throughout
India, begging for their food and spending no more
than three days in one place. There are dozens of
monastic orders in India, some with hundreds of
thousands of monks.
Young men, some born outside India are
initiated as swamis of the BAPS Swaminarayan
Fellowship, November 4, 2005, in New Delhi
Chapter Summary
The uprising of 1857 brought India under
Academic
formal British imperial rule. Exploitation of
Vocabulary
the country continued. Mahatma Gandhi’s
pyre
efforts, the threat of revolt and changes in
a pile of wood
world affairs forced the British to free India for burning a
in 1947. Before leaving, the British divided dead body
Pakistan from India along religious lines. monastic
The nation was left impoverished, though a monk or nun
a new middle class had come into existence. under religious
Traditional religious beliefs and social prac- vows
tices were little changed by colonial rule.
Section 3 Assessment
Reviewing Ideas, Terms and People
1. Define: What is a rite of passage?
2. Analyze: Why do Hindus cremate their dead?
3. Explain: Why does an initiate to a monastic order
perform his or her own funeral ceremony?
4. Identify: What Hindu ceremony must be performed
before one can effectively practice japa?
Focus on Writing
✎
5. Apply: How do you think these ceremonies helped
Hinduism survive centuries of foreign rule?
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0     h i n d u i s m t o d ay    I-15
CHAPTER
4 Standards Assessment
Directions: Read each question and circle the letter of the best response
1. Countries justified colonies because they believed:
A Their people were superior to the natives
B They could offer a better civilization
C The natives were subhuman
D All of the above
2. What sparked the 1857 uprising?
A Corruption in the British courts and police
B Attempts to convert the sepoys to Islam
C Commanding the sepoys to use cartridges lubricated
with beef and pork fat
D All of the above
3. From 1854 to 1901, how many Indians died in famines?
A 6 million
B 12 million
C 28 million
D 47 million
4. What happened to General Dyer?
A He was court-martialed and put in jail
B He was praised as a hero by the British
C He committed suicide
D He was quietly discharged from the army
5. Why did the Muslims want a separate country?
A They felt they could be more prosperous
B They did not want to be a minority in India
C The British insisted they move out of India
D World opinion favored the partition
6. What idea did Swami Vivekananda bring to the Parliament
of the World’s Religions in 1893?
A Only Hindus go to heaven
B Hindu religion is the world’s only true faith
C Hindus respect all religions
D Hindus are seeking the respect of other faiths
7. How did Martin Luther King define satyagraha?
A “Truth force”
B “Passive resistance”
C “Civil disobedience”
D “Nonviolent direct action”
Internet Resources: Go to http://www.hinduismtoday.
com/education/ for a PDF version of this chapter, as
well as Chapters One, Two and Three with clickable
links to resources. Also at the same URL are additional
I-16   h i n d u i s m t o d ay     a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 1 0
8. What was the main result of the Salt Satyagraha?
A The independence struggle became a mass
movement
B The British police were punished
C The Raj apologized for the brutality
D All of the above
9. The term “colonized mind” refers to:
A A colonized people’s sense of inferiority
B A psychological assessment of intelligence
C The advantages gained through English education
D The thinking of British Raj officials
10. To refuse more food during an Indian meal you should:
A Politely tell your host you have had enough
B Shake your head when approached with seconds
C Cover the banana leaf with both hands
D Quietly leave the dining area
11. A rite of passage is:
A A shortcut between two Indian villages
B A type of temple ritual held annually
C A ceremony that marks an important stage of life
D Arranging a marriage for a child
12. Mantra diksha is:
A A ceremony performed during a funeral
B An initiation to chant a particular mantra daily
C A type of mantra for Vaishnavites
D The daily performance of puja at home
13. At the ritu kala ceremony, a girl is given:
A A bath
B Her first sari
C Gold jewelry
D All of the above
14. At the initiation into sannyas, the monk
A Is given simple, orange robes
B Shaves his head and takes a new name
C Gives up all possessions
D All of the above
teaching resources and letters of endorsement from
academics and community leaders. To order additional
copies of this Educational Insight, go to http://www.
minimela.com/booklets/.